Monday, May 15, 2017

Ajax as a Challenger MBT replacement?

While the new wheeled MIV will offer British strike brigades’ infantry battalions a degree of mobility equivalent to similar French or US formations, the tracked Ajax vehicle, although well protected and possessing tactical cross-country mobility, is likely to travel more slowly over operational and long distances. Compared to their US and French equivalents, the UK’s strike brigades are unlikely to be able to move complete brigades as fast over longer ranges. For example, in their 2013 intervention in Mali, a French battalion equipped with the VBCI wheeled infantry fighting vehicle was able to cover a distance of 2,000 kilometres in five days.

Uh in case you didn't know it Mali isn't exactly known for having modern super highways. The idea that the French could cover that distance in combat formation in five days is stunning.

I really need to take a look at their campaign if they were able to pull off that feat...as a matter of fact if that's true then everyone and their mothers needs to study that movement!

In response to the worsening security environment in Europe and the emergence of Russia as a strategic rival, the 2015 SDSR placed two core requirements on the army: rebuilding its capability to field a full division of three brigades and to get more deployable brigades out of the forces it has. The army’s only deployable division, the 3rd Division, is being re-organised from a three-brigade formation into one of four brigades: two existing armoured infantry brigades and the two strike brigades.

Irrespective of SDSR 2015, it also appears that the number of Challenger 2 main battle tanks in front-line service will further reduce, from three battalion-sized regiments to two, with one regiment swapping its tanks for Ajax. Given the renewed importance of the tank as demonstrated in the wars in Iraq and Syria and in the fighting in eastern Ukraine – and the British Army’s visible commitment to the forward defence of Eastern Europe – this could be seen as a counter-intuitive reduction in anti-armour capability. But some of the risk involved is mitigated by the army funding a major life-extension programme for Challenger 2 that promises to make the tanks it has more effective.

So it appears that the Brits are making a bet. They're betting that two battalions of tanks will be enough in the world that we're headed toward. They also seem to believe that the AJAX can flex between being a recon vehicle, armored personnel carrier and medium tank surrogate.

I'm stunned by that type of thinking but here you see it. Are they right? Bat shit crazy? Or are they simply dealing with the budget situation as it is, not as they hope it to be?